Sunday 28th January, 1962

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1962 lettersLeave a comment

Dear Mum and Dad,

Thank you both for your letters again this week. You may by now have heard from Fortiphones, as I rang them on Wednesday – they were most helpful – and promised to send off one parcel of eight R.M.L.s that day, and unravel the difficulties later. I told them I was phoning on your behalf, and pointed out that you had not received any batteries since last November. The girl who answered said that the Main Office were at lunch, but promised to consult them and ring me back within the quarter of an hour. This she did, but their comment was that you had presumably discontinued your order. Disillusioned her on this score, so the promise was then made to send off the packet of eight. I cannot think why you have heard nothing from them, if you have written yourself. If you have heard nothing from Fortiphones since you wrote last, drop them another line, but put it in a letter to me, and I will take it up there.

I thought you would be surprised to get your letter on Monday of this week, but you were lucky as we had stamps etc. available and popped it into the three oclock post from the box at the bottom. Had hoped to do that to-day, but did not get round to writing it until 2-45pm. Yes I like to have the Mercury any time. Thanks for send­ing those two. Both have been passed on to the Benns as you might expect. Could not make out who the figures were who were marked in the British Legion picture. Thought that one ought to be Mr Garland and another Mrs Marshall, but was not sure. Who the dark person was at the back I could not say.

Gather from your remarks and the paper that storm damage was very heavy your way. No evidence this end now. Hope your journey to-day was a success. If you had anything like the weather we enjoyed, you had the best day for months.

Yes Carol is a much more willing helper than Susan. She tackled the whole washing up and did not flag. As you say she gives as good as she gets from Susan.

I am now wondering if the injection at the Dr’s was such a goad idea after all. Had a terrible time on Monday night every bit as bad as Asian Flue. Did not go to work on the Tuesday. The old arm is still painful and the affected area – about as big as a half penny- is as sensitive as a Radar Aerial.

I am afraid that. we are all under the weather again. We had practically no sleep last night. Susan was sick, and Carol was constantly coughing. I went in with Susan, and June had Carol with her. Susan was heavy with catarrh and I thought we should have a repeat performance at any time but she lasted out. Carol was really in the same boat, but with her it took the form of a dry cough. She is still at it$ and June has given her the Friars Balsam treatment. On tap of this, – of all people – June has got herself a cold. In short we are like a lot of Zombies at the moment.

You are right about the hard core of course. Many people dump there surplus rocks et on the field.

Interesting to hear how you have allocated the Burnham Loam. Also note the desire for a transistor radio. Aiming a bit high, but they are good value, as they are the most up to date thing in radios, are compact and the batteries are about the same as for the Fortiphone deaf aid.

I would personally have liked sliding doors for all the cupboards but of course to fit them would rather increase the cost. They do save a lot of space.

(Sorry to change paper but we are right out of supplies now.*)

Had a look at the inside of the airing cupboard, & can see no trace of wet. It would seem that [this] time the job has been done properly.

No more news about the proposed move of the Benns to Clevedon. He had an accident in his new car last week. Some chap without brakes bumped him from behind, and knocked him into the car in front. It looks quite a mess at the moment. Pity really as it was almost g new car.

Could not go to Reading Yard last week as had it fixed for the Tuesday. Two others acted on my­ behalf, and gave them the information. We now wait and let it take effect. No news either about interviews for Sp’cl B. The G,M.s cut on entertainment applies in particular to DivL Office staffs.

We have no recent news of Mrs Baker but she was none too well when last spoken to.

Your Vicar seems to be in the wars an no mistake.

Sorry to hear about old Houghton. I had formed the impression that he had died some years ago.

Regarding our invitation for you to visit us at Whitsun, note you have given qualified acceptance. You prefer not to visit in the Easter period, so assume Whitsun to be ideal for here, with the return match at Clevedon in August.

What is the effect of the Electricity Booster on the Sunday Yorkshire pudding?

Interesting to hear they are remaking your road. Thirty years is surely a short life for kerb stones.

Well there it is for now, hope we have healthier news to report next week.

Love from us all.

(*Here, Alec transfers his attention to a 5″ x 8″ sheet of paper.)

Saturday 27th January, 1917

On By Sue JenkinsIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Heard we are stopping at Audricq for a week. Laid down several sidings for the light railway – 2 Ft. gauge. Saw two armoured trains also a German Taube**. Can hear the guns quite plainly here.

*Audruicq is a small town 11 miles south-west of Calais/16 miles from Port Boulogne, the Wikipedia entry for which is remarkably unforthcoming about its wartime activities. (It was apparently bombed by the Germans in 1916, however.) Its greatest claim to fame is that that pilot who disappeared with Roald Amundsen in 1928 was apparently born there.

**The Taube (Dove) was a type of monoplane developed in the years leading up to the war. It’s impossible to guess which of the many variants may have been involved in this particular sighting.

The following additional information is from Martin Farebrother:

British Army L[ight] R[ailway]s in France were 60cm gauge, the same as French and German military light railways. In Imperial units this is 1ft 11⅝in, but was often equated with the British industrial 2ft gauge, and was also very close to the 1ft 11½in gauge used on some Welsh lines, such as the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways.

Thursday 25th January, 1917

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Left Folkestone 3.00pm* arrived Boulogne 4-30pm marched up hill three miles to rest camp. Had biscuits and margarine for tea. Slept in tents. Snow outside three inches thick.

*Clearly they had been sitting around at Folkestone for several hours waiting to embark.

The following additional information is from Martin Farebrother:

Extract from 1st LROC War Diary summary sheet 1, RE Museum Library:

Dated 5 September 1917 (typed)

formed Longmoor 20 Jan 1917

arrived Western Front 25 Jan 1917

CO Captain E F McCourt

Remarks: Unit has been mostly engaged in carrying up ammunition to Battery Positions, and also RE Material for use in the trenches.

Wednesday 24th January, 1962

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1962 lettersLeave a comment

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan and Carol

Many thanks for letting and combined efforts of Susan and Carol received on Monday, and first of all must say I’m very sorry saying your last letter had a Paddington postmark. It was Ruislip of course and when writing you I must have been thinking of a previous one. Glad our letter reached you on Saturday with paper – had our doubts when putting it in box on Friday. Had it weighed  at P.O. to ascertain exact cost of posting and Mum and I said afterwards if you would like paper weekly we would send it along.

Pleased to hear your house stood up against the rough weather – I believe the damage in the locality is much worse than first estimated – for instance although sea wall at bottom of our place was not actually breached it had a severe buffeting and huge blocks of concrete have been displaced. Apparently it will take many months to put right and they are already running lorry loads of filling along the seawall as a stopgap. A letter from Don yesterday morning refers to a picture of Clevedon in evening paper showing the same as we sent you and commenting that they came through alright at Lyng – we go down there all being well next Sunday as you know. They went over to Jessie’s last Sunday but it was a rainy day with thunder.

Fancy Carol washing up the dinner things – bless her – and now she has learnt to write her own name. She is not going to be left behind by Susan. Suppose she is quite happy to be on her own when Susan is at school by this time.

Glad to hear you took opportunity when at doctor’s to have an injection against smallpox but what about June and the girls? I see it is only effective for three years and am surprised as thought one injection provided a lasting immunisation against the disease. It is a terrible scourge but it should never have been allowed to creep into this country as it did. I think this affair will spotlight sufficient attention to the matter for the government to do what is necessary.

Mum will no doubt comment on your possible visit to Fortifones – there is still no reply from them neither are batteries forthcoming.

Your supply of hardcore from field is something like the widow’s cruse of oil – never-ending. Might be that other people who have no use for it are dumping it there. Anyhow I hope as time goes on you will get all you want to make up your lawn – make the whole place dryer because rainwater will soon soak away (towards no. 82)

The Burnham Beeches loam has been used for seed sowing and for filling 50 three inch pots ready for tomato seedlings when they appear in seedbox.

Re: wireless set – if you really have no further use for it and cannot make a pound or two on it then I shall be pleased to have it but Mum has set her mind on a transistor set when we can afford one. (Perhaps her old age pension will do the trick later on.)

Can of beer by side of typewriter I don’t mind if I do. No further news yet but no time lost and I’m sure Houghton will fix me up with one. it will be much better than writing and since taking to gardening and other rough work my writing has got much worse than it was so it will be nice to turn out something readable.

Your plan for alterations in kitchen very interesting and they will improve the place wonderfully. Estimate not too bad either. Will you have sliding doors to the downward extension of cupboards? It is obvious you are going to make the most of the room available in the kitchen and yet everything or nearly everything can be out of sight when not wanted. How about the leak you had repaired on chimney of hot water boiler? Is it satisfactory now?

Quite surprised to hear your neighbour now considering having a house built in Clevedon. Seems – from what you say – the proposed site is an extension of road from where Bell lives although I believe some building is being done even further across Strawberry Hill. Have not been out that way for some time so I am not too sure of position. Hawkins (Mr Palmer’s old firm) have some plots there but quite a lot of the buildings are being put up by Bristol firms. Ground rents are raised on practically every bit of ground out there. One bit of information you could give Eric Benn – to make sure roof is satisfactory because the recent gales have caused a little trouble to some of the the occupiers of newly built houses and bungalows and you know how it blows up there. It is the most important thing I should watch if having a place built anywhere on the Hill. More over the inside of roof should be properly lined with felt to keep place warm in winter. Have they yet been down to inspect the site? He can certainly get from Strawberry Hill to the B.B.C. station at Clifton via the bridge in about twenty minutes. The season ticket rate for the bridge very interesting most favourable compared with daily return of 1/6d. He must have stepped on the gas to do the Clevedon to South Ruislip trip in 3½ hours. 

Re: African Violet – mum does not think it is dead but it any case it will continue to be looked after until we are sure one way or the other. What does Susan think of the snowdrops? Does she remember she brought them home for mummy?

Note your possible visit to Reading Yard this week and prospects of a Special B for Notley – best of luck to him if he gets it. So the new G.M. has cut all entertainment. Does this apply to Divisional Office staffs as well? Can hear a lot of moaning in the distance especially from those who have made a good living out of it.

You did not say this time how June’s mother is progressing – we both hope she is going on satisfactorily.

Not much to report from local front this week. except for indoor work in greenhouse and garage very little done as ground still much too wet for outdoor work. My seed potatoes arrived yesterday – or part of them did – and I’ve set them up in boxes to sprout. The Vicar (who could not come to bell-ringers supper because of a bad knee) is now laid up altogether with fluid in both knees. He has been much too active during the past year and now suffering for it. You will remember Mr Houghton – one-time churchwarden – well he is very poorly with heart trouble. I do not know his age but it must be in the region of 75 to 80.

Just getting to bottom of your letter and I see you have suggested a visit to you at Whitsun. According to diary Whitsun is in the first half of June. Nice long days then and whether should be good thank you both very much – must see about it later on but hope everything alright and garden pretty well set by then.

No more this time – all our love to you both and lots of kisses for a little girls.

Mum and Dad.

*Whitsun is no longer on the rota of Bank Holidays in the UK; in 1972 it was replaced with ‘Spring Bank Holiday’ which is slightly more predictable in terms of its date, being always the last Monday in May. Whitsun, as a religious holiday, takes its date from Easter which is already unpredictable in advance except for those who understand the very ancient system by which it is determined.

Eva to the family on the remaining three quarters of a sheet of Leonard’s paper:

Dear Alec June Susan and Carol

Thank you for your letter and drawings. We shall be delighted to come up at Whitsun haven’t been away in the summer for ages. Your plan for decorating seems interesting. I don’t know when we shall start on our bedroom, don’t feel like it this weather.

T.G. party is next week. We all went down to Mrs Coppens’ last Saturday to tea and evening, it was a shocking night rain and fog. We had previously been invited to Miss Spelling’s for same date but turned it down.

The electricity is much better as a result of several posts and a booster erected in the neighbourhood. One in Garland’s place, one in Mr Marshalls field opposite and a booster in a hay field near St Andrews Drive march to the discuss of the residents, say it spoils their view. They still haven’t finished the pathst in St Andrews Drive, our turn next. They are fixing new kerbing as well.

Still no news of Fortifones and have written them the second time. Is June’s mother better?

No more now, love from Mum and Dad.

Eva’s drawing seems to be of a five legged rabbit, a square dog, a cat with very long ears, a gigantic bird and something that is possibly a donkey with its nose in a feed bag – although its ears are a very odd shape and so is its rear end. Tucked into a corner is rather a charming little mouse.

Wednesday 24th January, 1917

On By Sue JenkinsIn First World WarLeave a comment

[N.B. If you missed the introduction to Leonard’s war diary, please see https://wordpress.com/post/onthetrack.home.blog/2244%5D

Left Longmoor 9.15pm arrived Folkestone 6.00am January 25th

*Longmoor Camp was at 51° 4′ 23″ N, 0° 52′ 8″ W, just off what is now the A3 Liphook-Petersfield Bypass in Hampshire. Although there was a station at Bordon, the simplest and most efficient route for moving men from Longmoor to Folkestone seems likely to have been via embarkation at Liphook on the London & South Western Railway (operated 1838 to 1922) with a change at Shalford Junction onto the South-East and Chatham Railway (operated 1899 to 1923); that is, unless wartime operational conditions/special working allowed for a train to be routed through from the LSWR to the SECR. It’s also not impossible that the men were taken by road from Longmoor to Shalford, a distance of roughly twenty miles, but this would no doubt have required vehicles when they could easily have marched the four miles into Liphook. At any rate it’s clear that the movements of large bodies of men were undertaken during the night hours for reasons of convenience; security was probably not a consideration at this stage of the war.

Sunday 21st January, 1962

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1962 lettersLeave a comment

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad

Thank you for the weekly letter, arrived on Saturday this time (with 19th Jan postmark). Thanks also for the paper and the enclosed cutting of the high tide. Do not understand why my envelope should have had Paddington 1:45 p.m. postmark on it. It was posted by June on the Tuesday at Ruislip.

We had no outward sign of damage to the house as a result of the gales last week. It was very severe at times, and to hear it rattle you would think that the roof would come off at anytime. The severity this end made me sure that you would be getting it even worse as generally there is no comparison so far as gales are concerned. There are a few trees reported down, but I did not see any. A fence or two looked rather sick though. I gather from the Mercury that some of the outlying farms had some bad flooding.

Susan thanks you for the letters, and no doubt you will find something from her enclosed. She was recounting about her holiday at Clevedon this morning. All about Punch etc and where you had taken her for walks. Carol did all the washing up yesterday after dinner. She insisted. I told her she could dry up but no, she wanted to wash up. She did it rather well including the pots and pans. Only the minimum of assistance was given on a couple of dirty saucepans. She kept me supplied with crocks etc. as fast as I could dry them. If this keeps up, I can see Woman’s Hour being extended.*

I will see if I can get up to Fortiphones in the week. We seem all to be fairly well again this week. no serious complaints to report. I dropped in to see the doctor on Wednesday, and while their saw that he was dishing out smallpox doses so I had one. So far no effect, and this is the fourth day.

Poor old Ted Caple, he does seem to attract trouble with that car of his.

I do not know if I shall be able to get enough hardcore from the field, but I have not yet exhausted that supply. I gather that it is pretty near never-ending as for years people have combed it for hardcore, and there is still plenty. Glad to know the Burnham loam is now in use. What have you started off in it?

There is practically no value in second-hand wireless sets these days. Everything is now transistorised, and only sure way to get rid of an unwanted set is to put it in dustbin. Ours is as you know in quite good condition. If you want it for the bedroom, well enough, it works well with the minimum of aerial.

Glad to hear you are well on with the typewriter hunt. Doubt if a can of water would do the trick, why not a can of beer?*

The plan for the kitchen is to extend  downwards the cupboard over the dresser. As you know on the right hand side (when entering from the hall), there is a cupboard up by the ceiling for storage etc., and about 2′ 6″ below is the dresser top. By extending the top cupboard downwards we hope to be able to enclose a couple of shelves, obtain more room, and hide away all the cups, plates etc. On the other side, we hope to have a level surface running from the gas stove to the end wall taking in the sink unit. In the gap between sink unit and wall on the one side, we shall have a new cupboard to take the washing machine. A swing door will be fitted, and the top will have Formica. We shall have the cupboard under the sink rebuilt and extended right back to the gas stove**. The gap between the stove and the sink will be bridged with Formica. Also we shall have the pipes behind the sink boxed in. We have been quoted £16 for the lot which seems reasonable enough to me.

I agree that your parsnip wine has not got much of an earthy taste. I noticed it particularly with mine, especially the lot made to Bravery’s formula. My latest mixture is going like a bomb now. I think the yeast must be very superior to the dried variety. The bubbles are so small that you cannot see them even when looking closely until they reach the top where they build up about half to 1-inch of froth. The wine below is as clear as a bell until you reach the grey yeast deposit at the bottom. Proof of the brewing will be in the drinking no doubt, but I am favorably impressed at the moment. I shall have to start giving some of my wine away, as the supplies are now mounting rapidly, and I shall have to find somewhere else to store it.

Eric Benn came in last night and told us that he has almost made up his mind to have a house built in Clevedon. It all depends on Dorothy now. She was to have gone down on Friday – I looked up a train for her – but Michael was poorly with suspected measles. Eric says he has chance of a plot on the Strawberry Hill part of Dial Hill. We looked on the street plan, and it seems to be accessible from Dial Hill Road, but the opposite way from the Cricket Field direction. Somewhere near where Bell lives it seems. He tells me the plot is 200 ft long on the longest side, and the end is bounded by a steep drop (direction of All Saints Church in the Swiss Valley) and the other side is bounded by an old quarry upon which they will be building later on. He says he can be in the BBC at Bristol (Clifton) within 20 minutes of leaving the house by going via the bridge. £8 – 10 – 0 per annum season ticket. I gather the house can be built within four months, but he did not say who were the builders. Left Clevedon at 3 p.m. yesterday and got here at 6:30 p.m..???. I am putting the Mercury through his door as soon as read.

Sorry to hear about Mr Palmer, but I should say that from your own experience, he should benefit.

Pity about the Violet, but there is no knowing with flowers. We have the worst possible luck with ours. Probably the lack of the proper attention. No work this week on the lawn?

As I look out of the window, I can see the rain pelting down. Your snowdrops (sorry Susan’s) out in flower, but I forgot to tell you that one of them had the cheek to flower in the first week in December. These seem strong and quite large for snowdrops.

See Welton Rovers caught a cold yesterday***. The locals must be really bad this year.

Susan going to and from school quite well now, but we do not hear much about what goes on there.

Not much from the work front, except that I have permission to go to reading as soon as possible to try to sell them my yard scheme. May go on Tuesday if I can fix it up. there is a special be going for assistant section leader and choice is not Lee or Bowden I think. I want Notley and have made it clear, but I think McDonald prefers Bowden. The new GM has cut all entertainment. No taking the L.D.C. for a pint, you won’t get your money back. I suppose he had to start somewhere. (What about Geoff’s circus)? They will feel the draught.

Car still in a dirty state. Hoping for better weather so that it can get cleaned. Nearing the three thousand mile mark since we had it.

What about coming up this way at Whitsun? Are you involved at that time or could you get away? Will leave the thought with you for the time being. Love from us all.

*Both these remarks are clearly intended to be humorous – or at least witty – but land like a lead balloon these days. “Arf arf women washing up” and “arf arf men drinking beer” are no longer funny in any context and just seem extremely sad indicators of a limited mindset.

**There were no such things as flatpack kitchen units then, of course, and in fact it was far more normal to have freestanding kitchen items – the stove/cooker would be in a corner on its own, the sink elsewhere, and the washing machine or fridge (if present at all) would just be shoved wherever there was a power point available to plug them into. Kitchen counters were also a bit hit and miss – Formica was the latest thing, no more scrubbing pine boards! – and a separate table was the usual work surface. Alec and June took out the built-in (brick) pantry and moved the cooker into its space, but even so the kitchen was still very small,

***A Somerset-based football team, Welton Rovers were not exactly local to Clevedon and there is no obvious connection; nor have I been able to trace what this refers to. However it is quite possible they’d made decent progress in the F.A. Amateur Cup that year, only to be soundly beaten by higher-rated opposition.

Wednesday 17th January 1962

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1962 lettersLeave a comment

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

Many thanks for both your letters and Susan’s drawing which arrived this morning with postmark for 1:45 p.m. Paddington 16th January. Presumably your house weathered the gales last week as did ours but there was a terrific lot of damage in various places including Clevedon – the winds being north westerly brought the full Force of the gales on to the shore and at high tides the sea was driven well in. Understand the sea wall held but the volume of water that went over the top flooded several farms at Kingston Seymour. I’m trying to get a Mercury to you by post so that you can read about it – there is also a picture of the beach with sea being thrown over the houses on the opposite side of road. We had a drop of water in gullies on field but it soon soaked away.

Glad Susan was able to read our letters to her and must put in another with this one. If she is all that interested it will be a wonderful help to her.

I’m afraid mum is still short of batteries – not having heard from Fortifones since the end of November although she has written them complaining of shortage of supply. At the moment however the emergency batteries obtained locally from Dunscombes keep her set working. According to yesterday’s paper there is a possibility of a settlement with Post Office so perhaps things will soon be back to normal.

Yes June you appear to have had a hectic weekend but we are sorry to hear your mum is so poorly and can only hope Dr will be able to put her right again. Shouldn’t wonder if the recent weather has not had something to do with her upset. Glad to hear that at time of writing you were all keeping well at number 84. It’s the worst time of year for illnesses of all sorts so let’s look forward to the spring.

Yes Mr and Mrs Hewitt came to us on the 10th inst. but the roads were so bad that I had to fetch them and take them home. I think Bindings have had more cars in than they could cope with and some of of them had to be stabled in the quarry opposite. Ted Capel’s car was one of them – apparently an electric driven milkfloat ran into him near the Tickenham Star.

A good idea to get hold of some logs to help out with coal but the fire guard should  keep the girls far enough away from trouble in any case they are getting older now and should understand the danger better.

So Susan comes home to dinner again – getting a big girl.

You are going to make a good job of leveling up the lawn then. Can you get enough hardcore from field? Must tell you I am now using the Burnham Beeches loam at last. After sifting I was able – with addition of peat and sand – to make about a bushel and a half of compost. Wish I had about six times as much.

Our TV was out of use until the Friday and it appeared there had been a run on Mains Dropper faults that Bell had to send to Bristol for replacement parts*. Now the picture is out of focus and I’m expecting the man to call any moment. Note you have been busy with repairs to your wall panel fire in dining room. Incidentally when man brought TV back on Friday I drew his attention to wireless set and within minutes he had it going again – trouble was a fractured cable. He also joined set to TV aerial which gives us a much better reception. A glass of sherry paid for these repairs and well worth it.

Thanks very much for offer of your set but could you not raise a pound or two on it for yourselves? I do not know value of second-hand wireless sets nowadays. If we had another set should fix one in bedroom again as we did with the old Philco and and soothe the ourselves to sleep!? The set we have here as you probably remember was brought to Clevedon by Grandma Fewings in 1951 and was several years old even then but we have never had anything done to it yet, but obviously the valves and certain other equipment will not last forever.

Mum has mentioned to you about holidays and you must let us know in due course when you will be down. Noted in the meantime you have some decorating to do as as indeed we have here. Never mind Alec if it does not look like a professional job – it’s clean and fresh looking and it costs very much less.

You did not get very far with the Morris Cowley staff then but I suppose they will have to come to it sooner or later whether they like it or not.

The quest for a typewriter is now well in hand and Houghton has said he will fix me up in a week or fortnight. Suppose I shall then have to have a can of water by the side of me when using it.**

We hope to go to Lyng on Sunday week arriving there in time for lunch. A letter from Don yesterday said they had lost 36 day-old chicks during the bad spell of weather – chilled in transit – the firm replaced 25 of them.

What have you in mind in the kitchen to call in a joiner?

Bottled up the grape wine yesterday – made five and a half pints tasted very nice too. Comments on Parsnip wine noted but I have not noticed much of an earthy taste in it. Much prefer the Blackberry of course.

Any more news of your neighbour’s inspection of house at Backwell? The time is coming when Nailsea will be a larger town then Clevedon if the planners have their way. Anticipating a population of 20000***.

Not much to report from garden but I’ve sown in greenhouse sweet peas and lettuce and also pricked out a couple of boxes of letters sown last November. These are looking a bit down at the moment due I think to the strong smell of Jeyes’ fluid with which I sterilised the soil and gravel last Friday.

Understand Norman Baker will be bringing back the pony shortly to eat off grass in field but first of all he must put a strand of barbed wire alongside hedge to prevent it another breakthrough into garden.

Re: timetable alterations in March I have no definite news of course, but various rumours seem to indicate large scale withdrawals of services – must wait to see. Being off the phone we get no calls from Bristol nowadays.

Mr Palmer told me Sunday he thought he would now have to go into hospital for operation – double hernia and hemorrhoids. He has left it late as he is over 70 years of age and to my knowledge he has had hernia for upwards of 30 years.

Our coloured photographs have now been seen by a lot of our friends and neighbours and also what a fine set we have.**** As I’ve said before they are a nice reminder of a lovely holiday and we are very pleased with them. By the way although we kept it in the warm kitchen we have a suspicion we have lost the African violet however we shall keep the pot in the warm with the hope it may shoot out again. The cold spell finished off quite a lot of plants unfortunately.

No more now – hope you will all continue to keep free of colds etc. all our love to you both and lots of kisses for Susan and Carol.

Mum and Dad.

*Diagnosing the problem from a distance of sixty years, it sounds as if a power surge may have blown out all the resistors in Clevedon at once – at least those where the sets were plugged in/switched on! Nowadays, with sensitive computer equipment in every home, we are more used to the idea that our power supply is not always constant and even; back then, this was not so clearly understood.

**This sounds like a very lame attempt at humour, i.e. the typewriter would be operated at such a speed that it would overheat and burst into flames.

***Interestingly the current population figures (ia Wikipedia) are 21,281 for Clevedon, 15,630 for Nailsea and 4,589 for Backwell. Nailsea and Backwell are often taken together as being one place, but even combined their population is still 1,000 or so short of Clevedon’s. In fact Clevedon expanded massively in the late sixties/early seventies and – as we will see in due course – Leonard was one of the direct beneficiaries of this, selling off his orchard and at least half of his garden to the developers.

****The continued emphasis on these ‘coloured photographs’ demonstrates what a novelty they were at the time; our neighbour Mr Gray used to hand-colour his black-and-white prints, which goes to show how much more expensive it was then to have colour film and colour developing. It was really ‘only for the rich’ in those days.

Eva to the family on the remaining two-thirds of a sheet of Leonard’s paper.

Dear Alec June Susan and Carol

Many thanks for letter also drawings. This work-to-rule post is too bad.  I haven’t had any batteries yet. No answer to my letter can it be they have gone out of business. They have not sent a receipt for my last cheque for £3.10s. Nor have I had any batteries since November 28th. Now it is 7 weeks ago. I have been in the habit of having a box of eight once a month, about the 28th, & generally get one or two at Duncombes to make up but they are getting short so I shall not be able to get about. If you are near there I wish you you would give them a call all 247 Regent Street. Will pay you later box of 8 £1 R.M.I.*

Sorry to hear Mrs Baker not so well tell her to try a cup of Bengers on going to bed it will help her sleep and keep her food down. 

Our T.G. party is on February 24 which we all had to pay 5/- so am expecting something outstanding in the way of food for that.

Have almost forgotten the way to Lyng we haven’t been there since last time you were here in June. Going next Sunday week. Christopher Pearson and delivers our E.P. daily**. Mr Bush is very ill.

No more now hope you are all well love from Mum and Dad 

*This is clearly R.M.I. but I have no idea what it means and none of my online sources have been helpful. I can only suggest that the ‘R’ might be for ‘Remittance’.

**E.P. = (Bristol) Evening Post. They took two newspapers every day, not least for the crossword puzzles.

Sunday 14th January, 1962

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1962 lettersLeave a comment

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad

Sorry about the paper this week, run out of the usual stuff, and have pinched a bit from the kids. This is redundant headed paper.*

Thanks once again for the weekly letter. There seems to be little wrong with the postal arrangements so far as these letters are concerned. I see you have written a note for Susan to read, and noted also that she was able to do so. Now that she can read a little, she wants to read everything. I see there is a drawing ready for you in return.

If you are having a lot of trouble getting batteries through from Fortifones, and will let me know, I will get some from them and get them down to you.

It seemed quite warm this morning although first thing there was a white coating on or wooden things in the garden. When collecting hardcore and rubble from the field again and was surprised to find that there was still a thick coating of ice on pools on the field.

Have you had a return visit so soon from Mrs Hewitt, or is the visit you referred to that which was described in your last letter?

I agree there is not much point in cleaning the cars off now as they get filthy again as soon as they are used. I am not surprised there are a few cars in Bindings. no doubt he is rubbing his hands. an ill wind etc. According to the news bulletins on the TV, North Somerset had a particularly large crop of accidents, and also quite a number of occurrences during the subsequent gales. We saw pictures of the sea at Weston in the Knightstone Bay area, and it seemed very rough.

Hope the ringers managed to ring well after their four bottles of sherry. What about makeweights in the form of mince pies etc?

I thought the blackberry wine would turn out good. From all reports it is one of the wines to make. One of the best to make, by repute, is parsnip, but I must say I am a little disappointed in it. Yours is about the best I have tasted, but parsnip seems to have a very strong earthy taste which ruins the wine to my way of thinking. Perhaps a dilution of the ratio would remedy this fault. I am having great deal of difficulty in getting my Fig/Tangerine wine under way. The liquid yeast is too temperamental – even the yeast on its own fails to produce bubbles when the temperature falls below about 65 degrees. There have been no bubbles visible in the actual wine although the stuff has started to sort itself out into layers of deposit, pure liquid wine, and scum. I suppose it is working, but have no evidence.

I spoke to Eric about his call on you. he said he was impressed with the area, and now understands why I call our garden a pocket handkerchief garden. Apart from that he had little to say.

Some high jinks with your TV set. Should be inclined to ask Bell to take it in part exchange for another. The  faulty Mains Dropper he referred to is a resistance (now called resistors) which is put in the AC mains circuit to drop the voltage down to that which the input of the mains transformer can handle – I think.

I note you have been round the garden, and I imagine that this weekend you were able to make a bit more progress.

Our visit to Morris Cowley was by way of being a dead loss. The shunters would not have anything to do with it. They told us what we had come for, what we were etc. etc., but would not play. Of course this was prejudice run riot, and I believe there is possibly also an unofficial tie up with the B.M.C. This refers to the shunters only. We met the Senior Porter who had written inviting us in the first place, and he was all for it.

Glad you have been able to find a link with second-hand typewriter market. I expect we shall hear something from you in due course. Have heard nothing about railway timetable changes due for next March. What have you in mind?

So far as the decorating is concerned, I agree that it is a necessary evil. I cannot say I am much in favour of the do-it-yourself method as my results are not very satisfactory and give me a pain in the neck having to look at them everyday.

The wall panel fire in the dining room I disconnected from the supply a few years ago when the children was small I reconnected today. This time I put it back onto the 13 amp ring main which I now have available. Cost nil, as I had a spare 30 amp junction box available, and time spent about 20 minutes. I hope the girls will have learnt from the coal fires that anything glowing has to be kept away from.

So you did not go on a wild goose chase yourself – probably they could have bought one for the price of the bullets or shot. I note you have trouble with your radio, as well as the TV.

Since returning from Clevedon just before Christmas, Ken Lay passed on to me an old shortwave  communications receiver. It takes the broadcast bands as well, and is a very good little set. We do not want two, so when you come up you can have our old one. it is still in very good condition, and as you know it operates by push-button (saves effort).

We shall not be trying to book anywhere for holidays this year. We would like to spend a week or so with you, but will arrange that in due course. Meanwhile a spot of decorating has to be dealt with. we had a joiner in today to see about licking the kitchen into shape. Collected several more barrow loads of stones as reported earlier in this letter, and I am gradually leveling up the back lawn to the level of the path. I shall have to get some more ashes or earth for the grass to grow in but the main problem is bulk. I suppose there is hardcore back to halfway from the closest post to the garage so far. As one gets nearer the house it does not take so much to fill up.

Susan likes her book and so did Carol. They are both book mad and share each other’s.

Darkness now beginning to fall, looks a bit foggy to me. Not much else to report this week. I gather that June has written a few words herself. Glad to say we are all well this end and hope that you are too.

Love from us all until next week.

*Alec is using the reverse side of some headed quarto (8″ x 10″, which was one of the British standard sizes before A4 was introduced) paper of much finer quality than usual. It is headed with the coat of arms of the British Transport Commission and

WESTERN REGION

OF

BRITISH RAILWAYS

TRAFFIC HEADQUARTERS

PADDINGTON STATION

LONDON, W2.